My Baby Brother
by secd457
Summary: Hank just had to take care of his baby brother...no matter what.
1. Chapter 1

Title: My Baby Brother

Author: secd457

Summary: Hank has to take care of his baby brother...no matter what. Even after the betrayal.

Disclaimers: Story's mine, characters aren't

Notes: SPOILERS FOR THE SEASON FINALE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Later on, but still.

This will be about 2 or 3 parts. Not sure yet. Enjoy!!

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Evan shot up in bed with a cry, remembering at the last second to throw a hand over his mouth. He didn't want to wake Hank. Slowly, he lay himself back down, ignoring the sweat-soaked sheets. He closed his eyes, hand still covering his mouth, his body trembling. Evan knew if he took his hand away, the whimpers would escape. The trembling escalated at not being able to let go. It finally overwhelmed him and he went into a panic, breathing heavy, eyes flitting around the room, sweat pouring down his face. He couldn't take it anymore.

Hank rolled over in bed, frustrated. He couldn't sleep. Something felt…off. Rolling his eyes, he mentally head-slapped himself. Idiot, just go to sleep. He closed his eyes and rolled back over to face the door. He was almost asleep when he heard heavy footsteps coming toward his room. Fast. Hank didn't even have a chance to sit up before the door burst open and a brunette blur slammed into him, knocking him flat on the bed.

"Evan! What the hell?!" Hank sat up, and nearly tore Evan a new one, when he noticed the sweat on the back of the neck that was connected to the head currently trying to get lost in his breast bone. The clammy arms that clung to his waist made him shiver and the trembling body scared him. Hank grabbed his t-shirt from the side of the bed and mopped Evan's back and neck with it, getting his shoulders and face as well as he could. Then he put his arms around the cool body and gently rocked his little brother, trying to get him to calm down. "Easy, easy. What's wrong, Evan? Talk to me."

His brother's whimpers and shaking body did nothing to ease his fears, especially when he didn't get an answer. Realizing he probably wouldn't at the moment, Hank pulled Evan closer and let him bury his face in his neck, clutching the younger man securely.

"Are you hurt, Ev?" Hank asked gently. Evan shook his head slightly. "Are you sick?" Another shake of the head. "Did something scare you?"

He hit the nail on the head. Evan nodded after a pause and Hank sighed.

"Okay. Let's get you cleaned up and then we can talk about it, okay?" Evan nodded again. Hank knew he wouldn't be saying anything else. Any time Evan had a nightmare, they went through a routine. Calm him down, clean him up, tuck him in. Sounds simple, right? Wrong. Actually, the hardest part was over, surprisingly. Hank slowly disentangled himself from Evan and stood before pulling the younger man up. Evan just looked so…lost. Pitiful, almost. It was enough to make Hank hug him one more time, kissing his temple and laying a hand on the back of his head. He felt Evan clutching him tightly, his fists flexing at his back where he would've been holding Hank's shirt. Evan was just _itching_ to hold onto _something_. "It's okay. I've got you. You're all right. Just take it easy, Bro."

Hank pulled away, kissing his temple again, and led him to the bathroom. He sat Evan on the toilet, making sure he could sit up without falling over, and went to fill the tub. While they waited, Hank moved back to Evan and laid a hand on his shoulders. Evan leaned closer to him and rested his head against Hank's stomach, closing his eyes and latching a hand onto the cuff of Hank's shorts. No matter what the situation, if he was upset, Evan needed to be touched. It came from when their father left and Hank was the only one there to hold him when he cried about it, their mother being sick and all. That had created an odd bond between the two that had lasted since that fateful night. Hank ran a hand through the damp curls and reached over to turn of the faucet.

"Do you need help with your pants?" he asked, pulling Evan up to stand. Evan shook his head and moved to slide them off his hips, but the room started spinning and he fell into his brother, clutching his forearms. "Whoa. Okay, guess that's a 'yes.'"

Evan held onto the counter while Hank pulled the cotton pants off, along with his boxers. A flush of embarrassment touched his cheeks and Hank gave him a small smile.

"You? Embarrassed? Not hardly," Hank teased lightly. He managed to sit Evan in the steaming water and himself on the side of tub in one move. "Can you sit up by yourself? Seriously, Ev."

"I…don't know," Evan croaked softly, surprising and startling Hank. Usually, Evan wouldn't talk for the rest of the night, only grunts and soft moans being his methods of communication. Hank shook himself out of his daze and picked up a washcloth, shifting so he was sitting on the ledge behind Evan, his feet in the water on either side of the thin man. This way, he could reach everything and still be able to hold him up. Wringing the cloth out over Evan's shoulders, Hank pulled his shorts up high on his thighs, leaning Evan against his right leg. "Tired, Hank."

"I know you are, Little Buddy, but this'll help you feel better. I promise," Hank replied, using Evan's childhood nickname. He lathered the washcloth up with some soap and gently began to scrub the nightmare away, letting Evan lean back against his stomach when he washed his chest. "See? Feels good, doesn't it?"

Evan nodded and closed his eyes, letting his brother take care of him. It _did_ make him feel better, the grime and sweat of the nightmare gone. The pain in his face was almost gone, Hank noticed. Sympathy flashed through him when he caught a glimpse of Evan's tired eyes before they closed, but he continued, using a cup to wet Evan's hair. He moved to sit on the outside edge, so he didn't get wet, and massaged the shampoo through Evan's curls, the young man barely able to hold his head up.

"Almost finished, Buddy. Just gotta rinse this out and then we can get you dressed." Hank quickly rid the curls of the soap and grabbed a towel, tossing it over his neck. He flipped the drain latch and got Evan to raise up onto his knees, so the towel didn't get wet, before wrapping it around his torso under his arms. Placing Evan's arms around his neck, Hank wrapped his own around Evan's chest and pulled him up carefully, not wanting him to slip. "Easy. Just take it slow. That's it."

Hank quickly dried Evan off, sitting him on the toilet again to do so. Then he ran and got a pair of his own boxers from the dresser and hurried back to Evan, catching him just before he fell off the toilet. This startled Evan so bad that tears sprang to his eyes, which were flitting around the room. He just wanted to get warm and go to sleep.

"I've got you. You're okay." Hank kissed his forehead, letting his lips linger, and slid the boxers on.

"Hank…wanna go to sleep…please," Evan whimpered. Hank nodded and led him back to the bedroom, laying him down.

"There you go. You did great, Buddy. I'm proud of you." Hank laid down next to him and immediately felt him curl up against his chest. Again, though, he felt Evan's fists just _flexing_, and the younger man rubbed his face against Hank's chest. He sighed before standing up again, moving before Evan could grab him. The whimper that was torn from Evan's throat just cut into his heart, but he kept moving toward the dresser, grabbing a wife beater and putting it on.

The first thing Evan did when Hank laid down again was latch on to the front of that shirt. The tall body relaxed in Hank's arms and let out a deep sigh. Hank rubbed Evan's back soothingly, feeling the tension leaving the muscles. He was finally letting go.

"Get some sleep, Ev," he whispered, watching the blue eyes fall shut.

"Don't leave, Hank," Evan croaked, his body tensing up again at the thought. He really didn't want to be by himself right now.

"I'm right here, Buddy. I'm not going anywhere. Go to sleep, now," Hank replied. He heard Evan's breathing even out and let out a wide yawn, nuzzling his face into Evan's hair. They'd be all right. He just had to find out what it was that had scared his little brother so badly.

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So? How is it? It's my first Royal Pains fic, so bear with me. I'm still getting a feel for the characters.


	2. Chapter 2

Here's the next part!!! Enjoy!! And thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews!

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Hank awoke the next morning to squirming. Squirming? Wha-…

'_Evan,' _he thought, shaking himself awake. He opened his eyes, finding Evan and himself on their sides, facing each other, his arms around his brother. Evan had his own arms tucked in close to his chest, grasping Hank's shirt in one hand. Hank saw that Evan's face was scrunched up, silent sobs coming from his slightly open lips. The younger man's legs, though, were kicking like his life depended on it. It wasn't hard, but Hank's shins were _not_ thanking Evan's knees. Hank was startled when a choked sob burst from Evan's throat, unconsciously holding him tighter.

"Evan, wake up. It's just a dream. Evan," Hank called softly, his lips on Evan's ear. He prayed that Evan wouldn't rear his head, which would result in a broken nose for Hank, but if it happened, it happened. Just in case, though, Hank moved a hand to the back of Evan's head, holding it in place against his chest. "Ev, come on, Buddy, open your eyes. It's not real."

"Hank," Evan whimpered in his sleep, a tear leaking out from his eye. Hank bit back his own and stroked Evan's hair, settling his lips on his ear once again.

"I'm right here, Evan. Just open your eyes. It's okay." Hank felt Evan gasp deeply and pulled back slightly to give him some room. Only slightly. Evan's tear-filled eyes looked up into his, pulling at his heart, but he gave him a smile and wiped the tears away with his thumb. "There he is. Lemme see those blues."

Evan sniffled and looked at his big brother as long as he could before burying his face again. He almost seemed as if he was trying to crawl inside of his chest. Evan just felt so safe with Hank. He couldn't help but try to be close to him. It was his nature.

"Hey, it's okay. It was just a dream," Hank told him, and he shook his head. Something clicked in Hank's mind. "Right, Ev? It _was_ just a dream…wasn't it?"

"I…" Evan sighed, deciding that maybe it was finally time to let Hank know.

"Evan, were you remembering something?" He nodded. Hmm, 20 Questions? That would make this easier for Evan. "Did something happen recently?"

Evan nodded, not realizing that he'd done it, and then his eyes went wide and he shook his head furiously. Hank frowned and pushed Evan back, leaning up on one hand and using the other to still Evan's frantic ones that tried to hold onto him.

"Evan, tell me what happened," Hank demanded gently. Evan stared at him for a minute longer before hurt flashed through his eyes and he rolled away, turning onto his other side. Away from Hank. The older brother's heart tore at the unusual loss, but he moved past it. This wasn't about him.

Curling up on his side in the fetal position, Evan stared at the open door, trying to organize his thoughts, forgetting about what he had been hiding so well the past few weeks. When he was with Hank, he didn't have to do the thinking. Hank took care of him. Alone, or as alone as one could be with someone on the other side of the bed, he had to think for himself, gather himself and solve his own problems.

Hank cursed when Evan rolled over, exposing his back. How had he missed it? The large, deep purple bruise in the shape of a shoe on the right side of Evan's back made his blood boil. He knew Evan was upset he'd found it when the tall man tensed up. He reached a hand out to gently probe the bruise and Evan flinched away, crying out.

"Who did this, Evan?" he asked, his voice hard. All he could see was the bruise. When Evan's soft sobs reached his ears, he mentally slapped himself. He was scaring Evan. Evan thought he was mad at him. Hank scooted closer to Evan, a hairsbreadth from touching him, and leaned in close to his ear. "I'm not mad at you, Ev. I just want to know who hurt you."

"You promise you're not mad?" Evan said, still facing the other way.

"Not at you. I'm sorry I made you think I was." Hank sat up and moved so he was facing the headboard, legs crossed as he leaned on Evan's hip bone and laid a hand on his arm. He could see his face now, at least. "It's okay. You can tell me."

"It was when I went to see Eddie," Evan started, his voice cracking on the last word. Hank took a deep breath to calm himself, taking Evan's hand and letting him squeeze it tight. "I told him I wasn't giving him anymore money after what he'd pulled. I just wasn't up for his shit…And…And he didn't like that…"

"It's okay, Ev. Keep going."

"I tried to-to get him to just…sit down and talk about it, you know? Things can always work out. He started going off about how disloyal I was as a son and that Mom and you poisoned me against him. I-It wasn't like that, though. You guys d-didn't do anything but love me." Evan's voice trailed off, a note a wonder and nostalgia in his tone. Hank felt his hurt deeply, wanting to just cry for his brother. Reaching a hand up, he ran his knuckles down Evan's cheek and nodded.

"That's right. We did love you, and I still do. What happened next?"

"He just kept on yelling at me. I just don't understand it, though. I let him have all of our money and he was just…so…ungrateful. When I tried to say anything…he'd slap me in the face. You know how big and heavy his hands are, Hank. It _hurt_." Evan took a shuddering breath. "And he wouldn't let me leave…I wanted to get out of there, but…he…he wouldn't l-let…"

"Take it easy, Evan," Hank said when Evan started breathing heavily. This was much worse than just a kick in the side. Their father had abused Evan. Hank pulled him into a sitting position and rubbed his chest. "Just breathe. In and out. Deep breaths. You're fine."

"Hank…c-can't breathe…"

'_Shit! Where's Divya when you need her?'_ Hank thought. His bag was in the kitchen. He couldn't leave Evan alone. Just to be sure, he palpated the bruise to see if it was possible a broken rib had punctured his lung. Sighing in relief, Hank thanked God it hadn't. He made a decision.

"Evan, I have to get my bag out of the kitchen. I'll be right back," he said quickly and jumped off the bed before he could hear Evan's protests. If he did, he'd never leave. He grabbed his bag and ran back to his bedroom as fast as he could, returning to find Evan on his side again, clutching his chest as tears ran down his face. Again, Hank died a little inside at his brother's pain. He grabbed an inhaler from his bag and made Evan sit up again, moving in behind him to hold him up. Reaching around to stick the plastic in Evan's mouth, he listened for Evan's breathing pattern before depressing the canister. It was easier than waiting for Evan to get it under control enough to think about when to breathe. He set the inhaler aside and pulled Evan back with him as he leaned against the pillows, feeling Evan relax when he was fully able to breathe. "That's it. Just take deep breaths. Relax. Good boy. Good. I've got you."

"E-…Eddie…he h-hurt me," Evan tried, wanting to continue. Hank's heart pounded at the thought of another episode.

"Shh, I know he did. I know. Just take it easy for right now and we can finish in a little while."

Evan nodded and relaxed against his brother. He was wide awake, though, so he just stared at the wall. He couldn't believe he'd broken down like that. He was stronger than that. Then Hank had seen his bruise. How could he have been so stupid? Hank wasn't mad, though. He'd said so. They'd finish talking later.

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Heartbreaking? I know I'm taking twists and turns, but it's a dangerous road! Big Brother!Hank! is turning into a beast!!

Until next time!


	3. Chapter 3

Here's the last post! Thank you to all the wonderful reviewers and those who have stuck with this story! This is, by far, the best review turn-out I've ever had, so thank you for helping me achieve that!

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Evan found it hard to breathe when he woke up, his nose completely stopped up from crying. But…why had he been crying? Fuckin' dreams. Would they ever stop? He opened his eyes and looked around, remembering everything from the night before. When had he fallen asleep? He looked at the clock. 2:00 P.M. Wow, he must have been tired. That's when he realized he was alone. Feeling an unusual fear washing over him, he pulled the covers up to his chin, tight around his body, and tried to keep the whimpers from escaping. He closed his eyes tightly and swallowed thickly.

"Hank," he called softly, though it sounded like he screamed to himself. When his big brother didn't come, a tear leaked out and he buried his face in his pillow, soft sobs that made his throat hurt being muffled. He was so distraught that he didn't hear the footsteps, or Hank sitting down on the bed next to him.

"Ev," Hank said sympathetically, using his strong arms to gather him up against his chest. "It's okay, Buddy. I'm here. Bad dream?"

"Yeah…and…you were gone," Evan replied shamefully.

"I'm sorry, Ev. I was making lunch. You slept all day and I knew you'd be hungry, but I didn't wanna wake you up." Evan nodded and just rested his head on his brother's shoulder. "So, do you wanna talk now?"

"There's really nothing to say," Evan told him, pulling back to rest against the pillows. Hank faced him and pulled a leg up on the bed, ready and willing to listen to "nothing." "You already know what happened. He hit me. When I tried to stop him, he hit me harder. I even told him to keep his damn money, just let me go home…but he wouldn't. I finally managed to get up off the ground, but he'd kicked me in the side. That's how I got that bruise. I ran to the door and opened it when he threw a table lamp at my feet. I tripped and dropped my keys, but I knew that was probably my only chance to get away from him. So, I turned over on my back and waited for him to get close enough so I could nail him in the balls with my foot. Then I grabbed my keys and ran. Hank…he'd pulled a gun out. He was…He was gonna kill me."

"Evan, I don't think--"

"No, Hank! You weren't there! You didn't see the-the look in his eyes!" Evan shouted, cutting Hank off. The oldest of the two looked at the young man in shock, at the tears once again streaming down his face. Evan angrily swiped at them and took a deep breath.

"Okay, I believe you, Evan. I do. I'm glad you're okay," Hank said. He pulled Evan into a hug and kissed his cheek. Evan clutched him tightly. "It's okay. You're safe now. I won't let him near you ever again."

"We need that money back, though, Hank," Evan said quietly into his shoulder. Hank pulled back and cupped Evan's cheeks, looking him straight in the eye.

"I don't care about the money, Evan. You're safe with me, and that's all that matters." Hank stroked Evan's cheek with his thumb before dropping his hands to his lap. "Besides, he betrayed you."

"I just wanted to help him. I thought that…maybe…you know, he'd…"

"That he'd changed? Maybe with time, he wouldn't be the same person he was when Mom died?" Evan nodded shamefully. "There's nothing wrong with wanting to help someone, or hoping the person you love can go back to being that person."

Evan's head shot up hopefully, the emotions swimming in his eyes. Hank felt his heart wrench at that. He hadn't meant to get his hopes up. Evan thought he was agreeing with him.

"This is as hard for me to say as it is for you to hear, but he hasn't changed, Ev. He never will. I know you haven't had a lot of opportunities to determine that for yourself, or if you have, they haven't been very good ones, but you've just got to let him go. I'm not trying to hurt your feelings or turn you against all male authority figures or whatever, but I need you to see this. Dad isn't going to change. He's not our dad anymore. He hasn't been for a long time."

Evan stared at Hank, the hope that had been there now crushed and blown to smithereens. He knew Hank wasn't trying to hurt him. He knew everything Hank had just told him. However, he hadn't accepted it. He just hoped…

"Maybe if we--."

"No, Evan." Hank cut him off gently, shaking his head.

"Well, what if--?"

"Evan…I'm sorry. No." Evan's heart broke. Even though he'd known all of this, it hurt more to hear it out loud.

"Hank, I know he still loves us," he tried, tears welling up. Hank thought he would be all cried out by now.

"You also know that he isn't. going. to change. You know that, Ev." Hank held Evan's hands and felt the younger man crushing his in his grip. His face contorted into the one that meant he was holding back. Hank couldn't have that right now. He reached up to rub the back of Evan's neck and let him lean his head against his arm, almost nuzzling him. A few tears fell onto his wrist, Evan quietly crying pained sobs. Hank knew this position had to hurt his side, as well, so he rubbed away the tears and stood, holding out a hand. "Come on. You haven't eaten for a day. I made us some soup and sandwiches."

Evan took his hand and stood up slowly. He allowed Hank to wrap an arm around his shoulders and pull him to the kitchen bar. About half way there, he stopped with a gasp of pain, his hand going to his side.

"Whoa, easy. Let's get you sitting down," Hank told him. He partially dragged him the rest of the way and sat him down in one of the bar stools. He leaned him back against the bar and pulled his shirt up, wincing at the bruise that hadn't changed a bit. He poked and prodded for a minute, producing whimpers and gasps from Evan. "I'm sorry. I know that hurt. There's nothing wrong, though. It just needs to heal. I can give you something for the pain, though."

Evan nodded and Hank went into his bag that he'd left on the counter. He pulled out a syringe and a bottle of morphine, using only a small amount. He administered it to his brother and watched as he slowly relaxed, his eyes falling shut in relief.

"That should hold you over for a while, but after this we're just going to use ice and ibuprofen." Hank disposed of the needle and put the morphine away before washing his hands and bringing a bowl and plate over to Evan, handing him his spoon. He made sure Evan took a few bites before bringing his own over and eating. Surprisingly, Evan finished first, cleaning his plate. Hank stared at him for a second before going back to his own food with a smile.

When Hank finished, they both put their plates and bowls in the sink and sat on the couch in silence. Evan slumped down and scooted closer, laying his head on Hank's shoulder. Hank wrapped an arm around him and kissed his forehead, resting his head on top of Evan's.

"We're gonna be okay, Kid. I promise," Hank said. Evan nodded and let out a deep sigh, the morphine making him tired. He closed his eyes, not falling asleep, just resting. With his big brother.

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That's it! Show's over! Review and let me know what you thought! Thanks for reading!!!!


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